It may be difficult for some people to believe, considering the image he presented during his commercial heyday in the 80s and 90s, but Luther Campbell has serious political ambitions. In fact, he has just made official his intentions to run for mayor of Miami-Dade County, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the entire country. Luther is in for quite a battle though as he is just one of twelve people who have declared their candidacy for the position.

Also working against Campbell is his past. His group, 2 Live Crew, were one of the most controversial rap acts in history, actually seeing their 1989 LP As Nasty As They Wanna Be declared “legally obscene” by a Florida court. Campbell appealed the ruling and won. The album went on to be certified double platinum.

Campbell is well aware that his reputation precedes him and that some might believe he is not taking this campaign seriously. He addressed these concerns to Miami’s CBS 4, stating, “My major hurdle is people taking me seriously, a lot of people think this is a joke. I call it a banana republic and I’m serious about it. You look at the commission and they make their own rules as they go, regardless of what the county attorney says, they make their own rules, just do what they want. They have no respect for the people.” DX will keep you updated as the campaign progresses.